Freedom of Speech

Today, on International Blasphemy Rights Day, the eleventh anniversary of the Danish Mohammad cartoons, Atheist Ireland calls for the urgent repeal of the Irish blasphemy law, and the release of all prisoners held around the world on blasphemy and related charges, of which we include fifteen examples in this statement. ...

Starting today, Thursday May 6th, Atheist Ireland member Paul Gill will walk the length of Ireland, from Mizen Head in Cork to Malin Head in Donegal, to highlight the need to vote Yes in the coming Irish blasphemy referendum. On January 1st, the day Ireland’s new blasphemy law became operational, ...

From today, 1 January 2010, the new Irish blasphemy law becomes operational, and we begin our campaign to have it repealed. Blasphemy is now a crime punishable by a €25,000 fine. The new law defines blasphemy as publishing or uttering matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to ...

Lothar Luken, a poet and writer from Bantry, spoke eloquently at our Cork meeting about the impact of blasphemy laws on freedom of artistic expression. Lothar, who is a member of the Humanist Association of Ireland, also recited from his poetry, some of which is reproduced here. (more…)

Many important ideas in the history of humankind have been considered offensive when they were first proposed. Indeed, the people proposing such ideas often did so knowing that they would cause offense. Here are some articles defending the right to offend as a necessary part of free speech. Defend the ...

In 1909, George Bernard Shaw had a play (The Shewing-Up of Blanco Posnet ) banned for blasphemy. In a masterstroke of unwitting satire, the parliamentary committee examining the matter also suppressed the statement that Shaw gave them in his defence. Shaw said he deliberately wrote immoral and heretical plays, in ...

"A hundred years ago this month, Bernard Shaw’s little play The Shewing-up of Blanco Posnet was refused a licence for performance by the English censors... How brilliant of Dermot Ahern to mark this important event in Irish intellectual life by reminding us of the absurdity of blasphemy laws. Does he really ...

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